Ram for mechanical presses



0- c. H. HOWLAND-SHEARMAN 2 ,6 3

RAM FOR MECHANICAL PRESSES I Filed June 24, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l TLg.l.

;O I i i J H il L Y1TL /5 75 @J ATTORNEY I|l|||lI'llllullll'llllllll lll'lill 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1937 C. H. HOWLAND-SHEARMAN RAM FOR MECHANICAL PRESSES Dec. 10, 1940.

u lllllllllllllllllllllllll 11 n P n M u f l I||. I|. u n u I I I I I l I i I I l I I l I lull" 5-- I L W lHHHH I l l l l l l l I- IHHHH F P 0 Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES RAM FOR. MECHANICAL PRESSES Charles Hathaway Howland-Shearman, Hamden, Conn.

Application June 24, 1937, Serial No. 150,199 In Great Britain June z l, 1 936 Claims.

The invention relates to presses and is of particular application to a press of the kind described in my patent application serial No. 737,160.

The invention has among its objects to provide a press having a ram which may be readily inspected for adjustment, renewal or repair, and which may be readily demounted for the purpose of carrying out any adjustments, renewals, aifiX- ing of tools to the ram or repairs that are found to be necessary.

The invention has further among its objects to provide a method of readily demounting the ram for the purposes hereinbefore referred to.

The invention has further among its objects to provide a guide for the ram which may be readily adjusted for the purpose of securing alignment of the ram in the guide when assembling, and for adjustment of the ram or its component or accessory parts to take up any wear that may have taken place during working.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ram which is adapted to apply intensepressures and which will apply such pressures equally on a workpiece disposed at any position beneath the ram fence.

A further object of the invention is to provide a press in which the ram is mounted Within a guide in such manner as to be readily movable to a position in which tools may be afiixed or it may be inspected for adjustment, renewal, or repair, without being dismounted. A further object of the invention is to provide a ram guide formed with a clamping plate or the equivalent which is readily removable to permit a pivotal movement of the ram on a ram link connecting it to the operating lever of the press or the equivalent, the movement being in a direction away from the guide to present the ram and its component and/or accessory parts in a position in which work may conveniently be carried out upon them.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ram which is mounted within the guide so as to be readily removable en bloc therefrom on disconnection of the ram from the ram link.

A further object of the invention is to provide the walls of the guide to be adjustable in the forward and rearward and lateral directions whereby the ram may be accurately aligned to 0 form a close sliding fit within the guide, and so that any wear that may take place between the walls of the guide and the ram may be readily taken up;

A still further object of the invention is toprovide means whereby the pressures that are exerted by the ram in operation may be evenly distributed across the whole of the ram face.

Other objects of the invention and advantages will become apparent from the specification, taken in connection with the accompanying "6 drawings wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the ram and guide.

Figure 2 is a corresponding front elevation and Figure 3 is a corresponding side elevation.

In carrying the invention into effect in accordance with the construction illustrated, the press is provided with a ram consisting of a block of substantially rectangular cross-section. Within the top face of the ram a semi-cylindrical 15 cavity 2 is formed for the reception of the butt or bearing part 3 of a ram link 4, by means of which the ram is pivotally connected to an operating member or lever 5 of the press, and by means of which a reciprocatory movement is imparted to the ram in the working of the press. The cavity extends transversely the whole width of the ram and the butt or bearing part 3 of the ram link 4 is similarly provided to extend the whole width of the ram whereby the pressure exerted through the ram link is transmitted across the whole of the working face of the ram. Parallel channels 6 are cut in the top face of the ram to run lengthwise of the cavity so that when the butt or bearing part 3 of the ram link 4 is in position parallel channels are left on either side of the butt or bearing part of the ram link of substantially dovetail cross-section. The channels 6 serve for the reception of substantially L-section retaining plates or caps l formed as metal strips which are adapted to be secured by the horizontal limbs of the Us to the top face of the ram by screws 8 and with the shorter limbs extending downwardly and fitting into the parallel channels 5 formed along the sides of the butt or bearing part '3 of the ram link.

The horizontal limbs of the retaining plates 7 have the ends adjacent the butt of the ram link formed to conform to the curvature of the butt joint above the horizontal diameter thereof whereby these plates retain the butt in the semicylindrical recess while permitting angular movement between the butt and the raml The ram I may be formed as a steel casting capable of withstanding a pressure of at least tons/sq. in. and the butt or bearing part of the ram link is advantageously made as a manganese-nickel-chromium-molybdenum steel forging and has an ultimate tensile stress of 75-80 tons/ Sq. 111.

The ram link 4 is formed as a yoke and is connected by means of a pin 9 to one end of the lever 5 or the equivalent by means of which the ram is reciprocated.

The ram is mounted to reciprocate within a guide It! which encloses the ram on all sides. The guide consists of two parts H, II, one part II of which is provided of a substantially channel section in plan and forms the two sides and the rear wall of the guide, and. the other of which l2 forms the front wall. The part II of the guide is connected to the frame of the machine 13 as hereinafter described.

Between the ram l and the walls of the guide ID are provided gibs or shims l4, whereby an extent of lateral adjustment of ram in the guide is permissible. This is effected by means of the screw-bolts 15 which are secured by nuts 16 on the ends of the gibs l4 and are received at their ends in screw-threaded holes I'I formed to receive them in the walls of the guide.

The gibs I4 on the front part of plate ll of the guide, are mounted on said plate to form an integral part therewith.

It will thus be understood that the ram is adapted for forward or sideways adjustment.

The gib-keys may be made of bronze for minimising friction.

The front part or plate l2 of the guide l0, which part serves to clamp or lock the ram in the guide is slidably connected to the end faces of the parallel walls of the part II of the guide, and for the purpose grooves I8 of dovetail section are formed to run vertically in said end faces.

Two claw taper pins l9 are provided passing through holes formed on either side of the plate l2 and through corresponding holes provided in the end faces of the parallel walls of the part II of the guide and serve to locate the plate [2 in position.

It will be understood that means are provided to ensure effective lubrication of the ram and component parts: thus zig-zag oil channels may be formed on the inner faces of the guide plates and in the bearings, into which lubricating oil may be passed under pressure from convenient positions on the frame of the press.

A screw bolt 2|] is advantageously secured to one of the plates I, by means of which the ram is lifted from the guide for servicing.

When it is desired to inspect the ram or its accessories such for example as the tool head or to replace built-in tools, the front plate l2 of the guide IU may be slidably disengaged, the pins l9 having been first removed, leave a passage through which the ram I may be pivotally swung by means connected to the bolt 20 with the ram link 4 in a forward direction thus presenting the under or working surface of the ram in a position in which it may be conveniently inspected and any work that may be found to be necessary, such as the replacement of built-in tools, may be carried out upon it.

By removing the retaining plates or caps 'l the ram may be lowered out of engagement with the butt or bearing part 3 of the ram link 4 and removed en bloc from the guide ID or alternatively the ram en bloc together with the ram link may be removed by removing the ram link pin 9.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction of ram and guide as hereinbefore described nor to the particular form of the butt or bearing part of the ram, which are adapted more particularly for use in a ram applying very high pressures, but may be modified as desired in accordance with the work to be carried out and the extent of pressure to be applied.

What I claim is:

1. In a press, a ram, means for operating the ram, a guide for said ram, means for adjusting the position of said ram in all directions in said guide and means permitting said ram to be moved from the guide.

2. In a press, a ram, means'for' operating the ram, a walled guide for said ram, gib keys adjustably mounted on said guide for adjusting the position of said ram in all directions in said guide and means permitting said ram to be moved from the guide.

3. In a press, a ram means for operating the ram, pivotal connecting means between said ram and said operating means, a guide for said ram, means for clamping said ram in said guide and means for adjusting the position of the ram in the guide in all directions.

4. In a press, a rectangular-sectioned ram, actuating means for operating said ram, a suspending member articulated between said actuating means and said ram and extending the width of said ram, a hollow open-top rectangular guide for said ram with one wall thereof demountable, separate adjusting means secured within each of the four walls of said hollow rectangular guide adapted to adjustably position said ram within said walls, and a bearingsocket of equal length to the ram width secured to the top of said ram for receivedly engaging the lower end of said suspending member.

CHARLES HATHAWAY HOWLAND-SHEARMAN. 

